Science is all a Person Needs
by Sky.Fay
Summary: A human shows up searching for Fionna and Cake... The thing is the adventuress's are busy for a few days. So Lore must stay with Prince Gumball for a few days. She starts to like him... like, like like him. He might just like like her too...
1. A New Human?

**I shall clear up some things right now so there isn't any confusion. **

**Gumball- 20 years old**

**Lore- 18 years old**

**Fionna- 17 years old**

"Cake! Oh, Glob, CAKE!" Fionna frantically called to her feline friend. She had just come across a person sleeping. But it was more than a person; it looked like her. She looked like Fionna; like a human. And at the moment, Fionna was kind of panicking.

That day Prince Gumball had sent them to do remedial things around the kingdom, then they had to listen to LSP vent about some girl named Brandy for hours, and now they were spending what little time they had left on having some little adventures. Fionna and Cake had become separated only few moments ago, but that's when Fionna found her. Another human. She was just lying there, napping on the sleeping roll with a giant bag of supplies next to her.

And I believe it goes without saying that Fionna was just a little excited and little shocked. Fionna studied the girl as Cake made her way to them. The other girl had dark brown, messy, short cut hair (it vaguely reminded Fionna of Marshall Lee's hair) and she had pale skin, too. The girl appeared a bit shorter than Fionna and her chest was flatter. She was wearing a royal purple velvet knee-length dress and opaque black tights.

The girl had on plane black flats with a single, silver buckle on the top. There were a few freckles on her arms and Fionna noticed that the girls' nails were also painted a light gray color. Then Cake made her way into the clearing.

"Baby, what is it? I heard…" she took one look at the girl who was now waking up at all the commotion an stood there with her mouth gaping.

The girl yawned, stood up, and stretched her arms high above her head, not yet opening her eyes. She turned and faced Fionna and Cake with a surprised look on her face. After a few excruciating seconds of silence a look of recognition was put on the girl's face and began to speak.

"Are you Fionna… the adventurer?" The girls grey eyes looked confused and a bit lost, but all Fionna could do was nod dumbly. The girl looked relieve and happy at the same time. "Oh, thank Glob, I'm Loreena. I've been looking for you for weeks."

Fionna still looked a bit confused and Cake had yet to pick her jaw off the ground. "You see, I'm a human too. I was raised by a family of talking deer and I've never seen another human before. I heard rumors that you were real but I never really believed until now. Oh… oh, wow…" The two adventurers regained their minds and came back to their senses. "Sorry, I'm just surprised is all."

"Yeah, I'm Fionna… and this is Cake. We… we, uh… Cake…" Fionna had no idea what to say. She couldn't think of anything. When she was little she had always fantasized about having a human friend, but she slowly lost hope of that dream every passing year.

"We need to bring her to see Prince Gumball." Cake walked closer to the girl, taking her small hand in her paw.

"Who's that?" She asked curiously. She combed her hands through her short, wavy, curly, poufy, hair. Her hair wasn't terribly curly; it was just wavy and curly in an awkward way.

"He's the prince of the Candy Kingdom. He needs to know that there's another human," Fionna sounded excited in how she spoke, "Oh and do you have somewhere to live?" She gestured to the giant bag of… stuff.

Loreena looked down at the bag and gave Fionna a crooked smile. "No… but, do you think this Prince Gumball would allow me to at least stay in one the servant's quarters for a few nights?"

Loreena packed her things and they began walking the ten minute walk to the Candy Kingdom. "Of course!" Cake and Fionna sang together.

"Heck, he'll probably give you a king size bed and everything." The new girl looked at her, surprised. "PG's real giving. He'll probably make scones the minute we step into the castle; or have them ready to eat."

"Hmm, well he sounds nice." She paused. "I know that I'm probably going to sound really… weird right now; but I was wondering if you would want to spend some time with me. Since we are the two last humans on the face of this planet, I just want to be your friend."

Fionna looked at her for a few moments before speaking. "Well, Cake and I've gotta' head home now and get you situated with PG, but I think in… three days," she looked at Cake for reassurance, "Yeah, three days, I'm not doing anything so I can show you around Aaa and you can meet some of the people. By the way, where are you from?"

"I used to live on an island right off the coast of Aaa, and thank you so much!" All three truly smiled the rest of the way to the palace as they talked about other various mathematical things like Gumball, LSP, Loreena's old life, and how she actually preferred to be called Lore.

Fionna waved to the banana guards as she walked into the palace. They glanced at Lore for a moment, but Fionna waved them off. Surprisingly, Gumball was in the main lobby. Actually, he was chasing Science around, trying to get a pen from her.

The three girls all looked surprised as he stumbled around, muttering at the candy corn rat, and trying to get his treasured pen back. Fionna was about to ask if he needed any help. Their surprise greatened when Science ran up to Lore and scratched her leg, as if she wanted her to pick up the creature; so she did. Gumball looked up at the three girls and blushed fiercely.

Then he looked at Lore, who was now coaxing the rat to spit out the almost worthless writing utensil. Being quite intelligent he knew right away she was a human; but he also noticed how different she was than Fionna. He was captivated by her, but it was something more than that, something that Cake could see. Fionna opened her mouth to introduce them when Cake slipped a paw over her lips. Fionna noticed that look on his face too.

Lore looked up at him. She got that same look on her face too. Cake knew that look. Fionna even kind of knew that look. Then again, being fifteen, she was the youngest person in this room. Gumball was nineteen, Cake was twenty six, and Lore was seventeen.

When Gumball looked at her he felt something, it was a funny kind of feeling that he hadn't really had before. When Lore looked up she felt like she lost or maybe she was found. She didn't really know either. Even Science looked up at the two. Then the pen dropped to the floor with a loud _clang_!

The rat hopped out of Lore's hands as Gumball and her bother rushed to grab the pen. In the process the both ended up bumping heads. After too many apologies and a rat walking back to a lab, Gumball lead them all in to one of his studies. The whole way there Gumball kept on running into things and tripping and nervously laughing. In Fionna's opinion it was kind of terrifying. The tomboy had never seen him get this nervous.

They all sat in a dark pink and purple study lighted by a few lamps strewn about. "I'm Prince Gumball," he looked at Lore and stuck out his hand for her to shake. She took it graciously and smiled.

"I'm Lore," she said pulling away. "Fionna and Cake found me in the woods where I was camping. It was funny actually, seeing as how I came here to find _them_. Oh, and if you didn't realize, I'm also a human. I came here because I heard of her, and I really wanted to meat another human. However, I seemed to totally overlook the fact that my old home is a long ways away and I have nowhere to stay. Fionna and Cake told me that I could possibly stay here. I would be in your debt for a while, but I can make it up to you by running errands or helping in some kind of way-"

"You may stay here and I don't require that you do anything for me. It'll be nice to have someone new here, for a change." Gumball smiled brightly, taking Lore off guard.

"Th-thank you… so much," she looked a bit confused by his generosity, but gleeful nonetheless.

"Well… we'll just be leaving now," Cake began to pull Fionna away with a paw. Fionna quickly followed her out leaving the two alone.

"Are you tired or hungry? Do you need anything?" The prince spoke after a short moment of silence.

"I actually just woke up when they found me," she chuckled softly, "I am a little hungry though, unless of course it's too late in the night," she added quickly.

"Not at all," he stood up and walked to the door, "Follow me. How hungry are you?"

"I'm not starving if that's what you mean, but just a little food sounds nice." She followed him out of the door and to what she imagined were the kitchens.

"So… uh… do you like science?" He rubbed at an imaginary itch on the back of his neck, looking down at her hopefully.

"Yeah," she smiled, "I've always been especially good at physics, but I do enjoy chemistry and biology and engineering just as much." She wasn't looking at him, but he couldn't help but stare into her navy blue eyes.

"Would you like come to lab tomorrow? I could show you some of the experiments I have going on right now, and I could show you some of the really advanced instruments I have."

"That sounds like fun!" She looked up at him smiling that bright smile that made his (literally) sweet heart beat a little faster. Since he looked upon her porcelain face he couldn't quite think straight. She wasn't perfect of course, that's physically impossible, but to Gumball she was. Her eyes were just so pretty and her skin was nearly flawless, there were freckles here and there, but they just made her prettier for some reason in his eyes. Her hair was lovely, wavy, curly, dark brown, and cut at her chin.

He could probably go on for hours about how amazing she was, but then his head came to a sudden stop as they entered the kitchen. She sat down at one of the chairs and he began gathering some ingredients for a vegetable pot pie. His body did things by command, but his thoughts were on a different plane. He thought about how he thought about her. He definitely couldn't say that he was in love with her. They had only known each other for close to an hour now, he couldn't possibly have those feelings could he? No, he decided, _I just like her A LOT_. He heard a little voice in the back of his head arguing with him, and ignored it for now.

The pie was done, he placed it in front of her, she thanked him, and began to eat while he sat across from her looking thoughtful. On the inside she was being quite thoughtful as well. He was certainly attractive, and nice, and adorable, and giving, and… _C'mon, Lore, you've only known him for a little while don't go thinking these thoughts._

_But what if he does like me?_

_Oh, please, he seems to have a head on his shoulders unlike you. You just walk into someone's palace and instantly like them, you can't expect him to just like you back._

_Well, yeah, but it seems like he's been acting like he at least kinda' likes me…._

She went on debating with herself for a few more seconds before he placed the mini pie down in front of her. He looked her right in the eyes. His eyes were… fantastic for a lack of better words. They were this handsome kind of shade of pink-purple than entranced her. He was so smart too.

"Thanks," she said as she began to eat the pie. It probably tasted good, but her mind was elsewhere. Once she had finished he stood up, taking the plate from her and placing it in the sink.

"Did you like it?" He asked, coming back to Aaa. His voice made her do the same.

"Yeah, it was better than most things I've eaten back home." She said standing up and walking with him to the door.

"Speaking of home, where did you live before?" He opened the door for her, waiting for her to pass through before him.

"I lived on an island a few miles off the east coast of Aaa with my adopted family, who were talking deer. I've been living with them since I was four or five I think, when my parents died."

He gave her a slight smile. "My mother and father passed away some time ago, as well. You had books where you lived, right?" They had come to a set of stair that led to the private chambers.

"Of course, how else do you think I learned anything about science?" Gumball simply shrugged. "Is Gumball your first name?" She suddenly asked.

He didn't say anything for a few moments. "No, my first name is Bubba," he said carefully, "But I hate the name. I've liked it less and less ever since a person- who used to be my friend- began to use it just to annoy me." She became more and more curious about everything and everyone at that point.

"Who was your friend?" They began walking down a creamy-pink hallway.

"You have a lot more questions to ask me, don't you?" He smiled at her.

"Possibly," she smirked.

"Well…" he said after a pause, "My friend, his name was Marshall Lee the Vampire King." She nodded, staring ahead.

"Why aren't you the king? I mean if there isn't a king and queen then technically you should be the king, correct." They turned down the hallway and into another one. This palace was quite confusing in Lore's mind.

"I suppose in a traditional monarchy that would make sense, but that's not how it works here really. You have to be named the next ruler in the will of the last, you have to be twenty one, and you have to have a spouse. I was named the next ruler, so I stay a prince, but I'm not twenty one and I'm not married. So I can't be a king yet, but that's okay. I like being a prince, and honestly being called King Gumball would make me feel all weird and old."

"Oh," she said smartly in light of the knowledge he had just given her. "How old are you? You look like you're eighteen." She was thinking out loud.

He almost looked hurt. "I'm twenty-years-old. And speaking of age, you seem rather young to be away from home on an adventure."

She pouted. "I'm eighteen… you think I'm young because I'm so short, huh?"

"Well, yeah, your shortness did have to do with some of it." He playfully spoke, giving her a smirk.

"I blame genetics," she crossed her arms.

* * *

"Hey, baby, are you sure you're okay with those two and how much they seemed to like each other?" Cake called to Fionna as she walked in with some spaghetti and meatballs. Fionna was absorbed in the game she was playing on G-MO, but answered Cake.

"Of course they're okay; I don't like him like that anymore. Besides, I really like Flame Prince right now." Fionna blushed when she mentioned FP. She sounded completely honest though. She hadn't felt anything romantic towards Gumball since she was fifteen, and that was two years ago.

"Alright, just making sure; they really seemed to like each other though didn't they? It was so adorable!" Cake went on for a while talking about the cuteness of Lore and Gumball for a while, until she started playing with G-MO herself.

* * *

"Your room will be right here," Gumball motioned to a powder blue door with a silver peppermint doorknocker on it. They had been in the middle of talking about chemistry and some of the great scientists there were before the Mushroom War. He reached across her and opened the door, letting her go in before him. Instead of pink, this room was entirely blue and purple. There was a comfy purple bed in one corner of the room, a large dresser and vanity, three doors which she guessed led to a closet, a bathroom, and something else. To a girl who had been raised in basically a hut, this was amazing.

"Do you like it?" He asked, gazing at her in awe expression. Smiling and nodding, she walked into the room. The room looked as if it had never been touched before, but it was clean.

"It's amazing," she breathed. She twirled around to face him, her skirt and hair flounced up a little bit around her when she turned. There was a pretty twinkle in her eyes that made Gumball smile.

"That's your bathroom," he pointed to the white door farthest away from the bed. "There's a closet," he motioned to the door about five feet away from the bathroom, "And that door will lead to my room if you ever need anything from me," he pointed to the purple door closest to the chair that sat near her bed. "I'll send up clothes and toiletries for you in a few minutes."

Lore eased onto her bed, sitting her bag onto the floor. "Thanks, I only have one pair of jeans and a t-shirt in my bag, they wouldn't let me take any more than that. Well, I was allowed to take a couple loafs of bread and some cheese, but that's it. They didn't want me to go because they think I'm fragile." The prince didn't expect such bitterness come from her soft voice. She heaved a sigh. Most people thought she was nice and sweet and delicate because she was polite for the most part, but she was much more strong-willed and opinionated than she

seemed.

Gumball turned to the door, but looked back at her once before leaving. "I'm sure they just want to keep you safe." He put a hand on the doorknob and turned it slowly, hoping for her to respond.

"Yeah, I know." She sounded disappointed. She was a smart girl; she knew that her adopted family only wanted the best for her. Sometimes they just cared too much. She couldn't help but a little mad sometimes.

Somewhat happy with her response, Gumball left Lore. She looked around the room cautiously. _This is bigger than any room I've ever had._ She stood up, slipped off her flats, and wandered around, tracing the little, swirly details on the wall with her fingers every now and then. The floor had a fluffy, deep blue carpet. In terms of walking on it; it was softer than spring grass.

It was such a nice room she couldn't fathom why he had let her have it. She opened the closet and all the drawers, the vanity too. Stepping inside the bathroom, her eyes widened a bit; it was huge. She could fit two of her in the bathtub/shower; it had a semi opaque glass panel and a blue and purple polka dot curtain. There was a marble sink, a toilet far away from the bath, and a nice little shower rug that was the same color as the one in her room.

There was a rectangular mirror above the sink and cabinets below it. The thing that made it seem weird was the fact that there was absolutely nothing in the bathroom. It made sense because no one had used the room in what seemed a long time, but the lack of evident human life made Lore feel a bit awkward for some reason. She strolled out of the bathing room to find herself face to face with a little peppermint person in a maid suit.

"Hello," she walked to Lore, holding a million things in her hands, "I'm Peppermint Maid, and I will be getting your new clothing. Here are your toiletries," the little candy person handed her fifteen or so things of stuff for showering and face washing and hair styling. Then, she handed her eight more things. There was everything and anything you would need for daily or if you were planning to go to a royal ball.

"Oh, um, thanks. It'll take me a few minutes to put everything away." She turned to leave.

"I will put them away if you would like, and I need to measure you to see what size clothing you need." The woman took a tape measure (like those ones people who sew clothes, Lore thought) and began measuring her waist, hips, etc. like a pro.

"I can do it. I like to put things where I think they should be." Let's get one thing out of the way; just like every other average person, Lore wasn't sweet all of the time. Her voice wasn't high pitch, or terribly low either. Her voice was strong, but masked with a slight breathiness if she wasn't speaking loudly.

Peppermint Maid was done in less than a minute and promptly left the room. Lore picked up her devices for hygiene with a little trouble, and rushed them into the bathroom before they could all fall out of her hands. She began placing her things on the shelves below the sink, above the sink, and the shelves near the tub until she had finished her work. Peppermint Maid rushed back into the room just as she had finished and closed the door to the lavatory.

The woman must've been holding at least twenty shirts, six pairs of pants, a couple of skirts, fifteen dresses, two sets of pajamas, pantyhose, tights, stockings, and socks. Lore couldn't help but gape a little at them all. "I, uh, oh, I… thank you!" She smiled brightly.

"Don't thank me, miss, thank the Prince." The maid returned her smile and exited for the last time that night.

* * *

Once Gumball closed the door he rushed around trying to find Peppermint Maid and inform her about the guest they had. He rushed through the story, only telling the maid the basics. The woman had known that Fionna and Cake had brought a guest with them, but had not been entirely sure who it was. After hearing his story, though, she began to wonder how much he 'welcomed' this girl.

"You seem to like this girl quite a bit, Prince." He understood what the teasing, old woman had implied, yet decided to act stupid.

"Well of course, she's a friend of Fionna and Cake so she should be a friend of mine." He shrugged it off, determined to not let her win this battle. The maid had always liked teasing ever since he was young.

"There are some people Fionna and Cake are close with who you do not associate with." Marshall Lee. It was obvious that she meant Marshall, granted there were others that the two probably had some relations with who Gumball did not really approve of.

"Well she doesn't seem like one of those people." With that the prince turned on his heel and briskly walked off to make sure that the lights were turned off in every room and that some of the other residents in the castle were well. His mind wouldn't wander from the girl. I'm sure if he really tried he could've stopped thinking about her, there were other important matters at hand, but he didn't mind to thinking about her.

* * *

Lore stood up, hands on hips, looking triumphantly at her dresser drawers and then at her closet. She had packed everything away with a surprising quickness and neatness. One thing she had left out to change into now was the nightgown that she had been given. It was light pink, reached her knees, loose, and flowing. She took that and a towel into her bathroom and turned on the shower. There was even a bench that could fold out from the wall to sit on while you shower.

After showering herself into a prune, Lore slipped on her nightgown and fell onto the bed, trying not to soak her pillow with her damp hair. She still had questions about the castle. When was she supposed to get up? Where was she going to eat? What was she going to do all day long?

Luckily, Gumball knocked and called in to see if he could enter. She sat up and called back to him, "You can come in." She rubbed the sleep from her eyes. Her body was exhausted, her mind was a bit tired too, but it was still running a million miles an hour.

He walked in and sat on her bed quietly. He was no longer wearing his pink regal attire. Now he was wearing a black band t-shirt and pink pin stripe pajama pants. "I was wondering if you had any questions. I realize I haven't really told you too much, and you're probably wondering about some things." She sat up straighter and put her hands in her lap.

"Are there any rules for living here?" Gumball laughed.

"As long as you don't break anything you'll be perfectly fine. Also," his expression became dark, "if the vampire king shows up, don't let him into the palace." She raised an eyebrow. She remembered Gumball telling her about him while they were walking. Fionna had even told her a little about him on their way to the palace.

"His name is Marshall Lee right? And… what does he look like?" She leaned toward him.

"Yes," he didn't look too happy, "he's pale… green, he has black hair, usually carries around a bass, wears plaid a lot, he acts like a pest." The disgust in the prince's voice was so obvious it sounded unnatural coming from his seemingly polite self.

"You don't seem to like him very much…" the prince shook his head, "Why not?" She felt like she was prying, but that didn't hinder her curiosity. Only, she hoped the prince didn't think she was being rude.

"…_I_," he drew out the word, like he was planning what he was going to say next, "I guess you have a right to know something about me. I haven't even told Fionna or Cake about this, and they're my really good pals, so… in return you have to tell me something you haven't told Fionna or Cake."

"Okay!" She didn't even pause to think about it.

"Okay… well, we used to be friends. Best friends really, we got each other things every now and then and used to spend a ton of time together," his face twisted into an awkward smile, "Some people thought we were more than friends sometimes, but we weren't we really weren't. Anyhow, we started drifting apart, we had arguments over things. He started acting more like a jerk and he thought I was a wad… that I was stuck up."

_A gum wad?_ Lore thought silently.

"We got into a huge argument, and that was it. I can't even stand the sight of him anymore because of the things he said. But for some reason I still wear this shirt he got me at some concert," She decided not to press anything while he paused. "Now it's your turn," his voice turning polite once more.

She racked her brain as quick as she could; trying to find any stupid story that she could to tell him. Anything that would be as deep or slightly meaningful as his story was would suffice. "One time," she began after a minute, "my sister and I got into a huge fight. She was going to leave to live with her boyfriend, who lived on another island. When we were little she had promised that she would never leave me… and I felt betrayed. This was about… six months ago. I didn't want her to leave, but she did anyway. I knew I shouldn't have been mad at her, but I was. Now, though, I realize that I was acting stupid and pretty childish."

Then, there was silence. There was awkward silence actually. They both kept on going between staring at the bed, to the floor, to each other, and back to the bed. "I guess I should be going…" Gumball went to stand, but was stopped. Lore grabbed his arm.

"Wait!" She glanced at the clock. It was 9:33 PM. "Sorry…. I, uh, sorry. I was wondering if you really would let me see your lab tomorrow." It was true that she really did want to see the lab. If he was a prince he must have some of the best labs in all of Aaa! On the inside she just didn't want him to go so fast.

Gumball smiled on the inside when she stopped him. He hadn't wanted to go either, but it was getting somewhat late and he had to wake up early in the morning to get things done so he could spend the next three days with Lore. He couldn't wait to show her all of his labs tomorrow (and to spend some time alone with her to be honest). They both bid each other good night and Gumball left through the door next to her bed.

It was dark now in Lore's room, so she laid there in her bed just thinking. _I sounded so stupid while I was stuttering to him about labs and junk!_ She thought to herself. Her mind played what had just happened over and over again. _It's surprising that he actually has a little muscle…_ she blushed at the thoughts that ensued. This was true though, even though Gumball was thin, he was rather lean and slightly muscular. That's what running around a kingdom and running around a lab did to you!

Gumball lay in his bed thinking similar thoughts. _She's not as busty as Fionna, but… Oh, Glob, did I really just think that?! I guess all humans look different though. Her hips are perfect for bearing children and… I am turning twenty one soon I do need an heir and a… _

He stopped himself from thinking anymore once he quickly realized what physically having an heir would mean. He couldn't possibly think that of a girl he had just met. That would go against everything he had ever learned about courtship and dating and… and everything. So, trying to not have another thought about the new human, he drifted into sleep.


	2. Unhello?

Lore awoke early in the morning. It took her a few moments to realize where she was and everything that had happened last night. She stretched and walked to the window and looked out at the pretty, pale pastel colors that swept over the kingdom. The dull light made her smile. She briskly walked to the drawers that held fresh undergarments and then opened the one she had placed all of her new dresses in.

Poking and prodding through the different colors, she eventually picked a light blue one and a pair of lavender tinged pantyhose. It was soft material that looked like denim, with little purple pinstripes going down it. It was cinched and gathered at the waist, had short, puffy sleeves, buttoned down to the hips, and flowed out from the hips to about her knee.

She rushed into the bathroom to freshen up a bit. She brushed her hair out quickly and washed her face. She chucked off the sleeping gown from the night before and slipped on her dress, pantyhose, and the pair of brown lace up combat boots she had stored in her bag. She still had about an hour to kill before it was seven o'clock, which is when she figured everyone would be waking up and it would be time for breakfast.

Her eyes whipped back to the cabinets below the large sink. Peppermint Maid had given her makeup along with everything else. She carefully brought the box out and placed it on the counter space next to the actual sink and opened it. She looked through its contents and picked out what she would want for today.

She placed the box on the floor leaving a few things on the table. She left only what she needed for natural looking makeup, except for a soft, thin line of lavender on her bottom lashes. She was careful and took her time, which resulted in it taking her half an hour to complete it, but it ended up looking perfect so she was pleased.

Lore smiled brightly and looked at herself one more time in the full body mirror before walking out to her room. The castle was still deafeningly silent. So, with the curiosity she always harbored, she walked into the hallway to begin exploring. Surprisingly, the castle wasn't as hard to navigate as she originally had imagined. Soon she had made her way to the castle gardens.

The dew was still fresh on the flowers. The special candy plants that only opened in the morning barely open, beginning to close because of the sun rising. "It's so beautiful," she breathed.

"It is, especially this early in the morning," a deeper voice said from behind her. She yelped and jumped at the new person, but turned. It was only Gumball. Her heart beat slowed, little by little.

"I'm sorry; I didn't hear you behind me." She smiled at her own overreaction and sat on a bench beside the two of them. Quickly following her, he sat as well.

"You're up early," his eyes were on the narrow, cobblestone pathway.

"My sleeping schedule is all messed up and I like waking up early. Well," she added, "I don't like waking up, but I do like being up early; if that makes any sense?"

"Yeah, I get what you mean." He playfully leaned into her shoulder. They stayed there for a while, she was admiring the beauty of the garden and he was admiring her.

"Should we go inside for breakfast now?" Lore looked at him with wonder. Had he just been staring at her? The light blush on his already pink face answered her question.

"I-yes, of course!" He stood up stiffly offered her his arm.

"I have a feeling you weren't always this proper. You don't act like this all of the time, but when you do you're like a robot." It wasn't an insult, but it certainly wasn't a compliment either

"Well," he said as she looped her arm into his, "when I was about thirteen or fourteen some of the other royals believed that I wasn't… regal enough. I had even more responsibility than I did when I was young. I had to take hours of classes on royal etiquette; it was really… drilled into me."

"Oh," was all she had to say. "Well, I like you whether your being regal enough or not." She rested her head against his arm and blinked once, slowly. They walked through a side entrance that lead to a small dining area. It obviously wasn't the grand dining hall, it was much too small for that, but the ceiling was still considerably high. There was a round, wooden table in the middle with four pale green chairs around it.

She moved her head from his arm with some regret. Gumball released her arm and moved quickly to the table to pull out a chair for her. By the time he had done so, she was already seated.

She looked up at him, confused; and then a look of realization washed over her. "Were you going to pull out my chair? I'm sorry, I didn't mean…I hope I didn't seem rude."

"Oh, well… yes, but it's fine." He rushed through a pair of double doors on one side of the blue room and came back with two bowls of cereal. "I really hope this okay. The castle is to restock food today, but it seems that our provider is late." He chuckled. "I like to give most of our better food to the people in my kingdom when things like this happens, can't have them freaking out." He breathed in through his teeth.

Lore smiled and picked up her spoon. She decided not to ask what would happen if the candy people started freaking out. "I'm sure cereal will suffice for a good breakfast," she ate slowly, never taking her eyes off of the cereal and her spoon.

The cereal was sweet, like most things in the kingdom seemed to be so she began to wonder. _Since technically there's sugar in this, isn't that some form of cannibalism? I mean, I get that this sugar or candy or whatever isn't mutated like the Gumball and the rest of the people. I still feel… weird about watching him eat sugar. There are a lot of pastries here, too. I saw a cupcake/man though, didn't I?_

She didn't let here confusion show on her face, but Gumball was still surprised that she hadn't said anything about it. He was used to this question; he had been asked it a million times. Lore had figured the answer for the most part, but was unsure of her hypothesis.

"Gumball?" She said finishing her breakfast.

"Yes?"

"You can eat candy and sugar…?"

"Yep."

_ Here we go…_

"Is that because you're a… mutant human and candy… person? And the things you eat aren't human at all, so that makes it okay?"

"I'm surprised; usually I have to explain that twice over for someone to understand me."

Lore smiled in pride as he stood and brought their bowls back through the double doors.

She looked at her chipping, grey nail polish and smiled. Her first day was going to be amazing, she could already tell. It was warm, but breezy and the temperature of the palace seemingly perfect. Everything about this place was too perfect; it was an unusual but pleasant change from her past.

She was pulled out of her trance by a cold breeze brushing against her neck. It felt like someone was breathing down her neck. She had a bad feeling, but whipped around in her chair anyway. There was nothing and nobody, absolutely nothing. Time passed to the point where Lore felt completely alone again, until someone tapped her on the shoulder. Thinking it was the Prince, she eagerly turned around.

"Gumball, I think there's a…" In front of her was a person she had never met. He was a seemingly handsome man, who appeared to be about her age. He had a messy black hair, and pale skin with a slight green hue to it, and his eyes were electric blue. She couldn't say a word; she was petrified.

"Hey." The man in front of her with the smooth voice was also floating. Quickly, she regained her composure.

"Who are you?"

He laughed and rolled over to float on his back. "Oh, I'm no one special, just the Vampire King; Marshall Lee the Vampire King." He extended his hand as to shake. Being courteous, she extended hers to him; but in a moment he had flipped onto his stomach again, grabbed her hand, and kissed it lightly. She was shocked, and left her hand in his grasp for only a second before yanking it back to her chest.

"I'm Lore…one of the last two remaining humans." She wasn't sure how to introduce herself to this outgoing king, but that sentence seemed to suffice.

"Oh, I know you're human. Fionna told me all about you last night. So…Bubba decided to allow you to stay? He must really like you, we were best friends and I was never invited to the castle." He was bitter and resentful, not a safe mixture for someone who was powerful.

"Why are you here? Prince Gumball told me to not let you in."

"Oooo! _Prince Gumball_," he spat, "I came here to get something that Fionna left last night." He dangled a small, empty, picture frame in front of her face and then stuffed it in his pocket. "And you don't mind, Miss. Lore, I'll be taking my leave now and you won't be telling his royal highness about my being here."

"She won't?" The prince strode into the room with far more authority than Lore had ever seen him in the short time she had known him. "Get out of my home, get out of the Candy Kingdom, Marshall Lee." His tone was icy.

Marshall Lee simply laughed, "See ya' round, your majesty!" As he flew out of one of the windows, he opened an umbrella with a flourish. As soon as he was out of sight, Gumball rushed to Lore.

"Are you alright? Did he hurt you?" He grabbed her shoulders, shaking her a bit, and leaned in so his nose was nearly touching hers. She hadn't had the chance to admire how odd and captivating his magenta eyes were.

"I'm fine, I'm fine," she laughed, "All he did was try to shake my hand." There was a good amount of truth in her sentence, enough so that it didn't sound like a lie when it came out of her mouth. Finally, Gumball seemed satisfied and leaned back away from her.

"Well, what would you like to do today, Miss. Lore?" She smiled and stood.

"Well," she mimicked him, "I would like to see some of your labs today." She flounced towards the door.

"Oh, yes, of course! I invited you to see my labs last night, didn't I?" He looped his arm into hers, his hand brushing her waist as he did so.

* * *

"So if we add 'Beaker #1' to 'Vile number…3' it should…emit a blue-ish gas and then freeze over on top," she grinned, proud of herself, "…right?"

He ambled up behind her and looked over her shoulder, while mixing together an almost complete concoction. Nodding, he wandered back to the counter on the opposite side of the room. "Yeah, its fine…why are you worried about it?"

Lore snapped lid shut of the container labeled "Sore Throat and Headache Cure". It was for a small family of Gumdrop people who had all been feeling sickly.

"It's just that chemistry isn't normally what I "do". I'm mostly into physics. I mean, I'm okay and all at chemistry, but it doesn't excite me as much as physics. So whenever I do something even a little complex, I'm just not that confident with it." She was wandering around the lab now, and basically talking to herself. Once she was done talking, she began humming to herself, but eventually stopped doing that as well.

"I'm done now, so we can-"

She was standing right behind him, causing him to trip forward into her. Instinctively, she wrapped her arms around Gumballs waist and leaned forward to keep both of them from falling.

"Sorry! I shouldn't have been standing so close to you, I just-just wanted to see what you were doing. Sorry!" She backed away too quickly, and tripped over the lab coat that Gumball had loaned her. As it was his, it was much too long for her.

A small yelp escaped her mouth as the prince caught her from falling. As they both stood upright again, a deep blush dusted both of their cheeks. Gumball tore his hands away from her waist and Lore began laughing. Unsure of what was so funny, or if she could possibly be laughing at him, he nervously laughed back.

"I'm…I'm sorry," she said between taking breaths, "It's just…we're both just walking disasters, aren't we? I guess it doesn't help that I'm wearing a lab coat that's a bit to long for me. Had I known I was going to run into a dashing scientist prince, I would've packed my lab coat." She beamed and skipped over to the bag of medicine that needed to be distributed to the candy people before dark tonight.

After what seemed like hours of walking all over the kingdom, and having long but enjoyable conversations with everyone they saw, there was only one more house left. It was the little Gumdrop people that required the sore throat cure. The sun was beginning to set, and pretty, bright pastel colors were starting to paint the sky.

"Thank you **soooo** much, Prince!" The two little children yelled as they saw Gumball. There was a little boy and a little girl; the girl was wearing a bow, and the boy was wearing a little bowtie.

_They're so adorable!_ Lore thought.

"Is she your girlfriend?" The little girl asked, staring up at Lore.

"Uh…Um, n-no…she's just staying at the pal-"

"Is she gonna' be our queen?" The little boy cut into his sentence.

"Uhm…"

"I think you're real pretty, you should marry the prince and be our queen!" The girl spoke again.

"Uh...well, thank you," Lore giggled, "But I don't know about marrying anyone right away." She glanced at Gumball, but he seemed to have nothing to say. "And I only met Prince Gumball yesterday; I don't mean to make either of you upset, but I could hardly think about marrying someone I barely know." There was a moment of silence before both of the children ran to her and hugged her leg, their head not even reaching her hip.

"But we want a queen!" The little ones pretended to sob, until Lore crouched down to be eye-level with them.

"I know that someday you will have one." The children cheered and their mother patiently smiled.

* * *

While on the silent walk back to the palace, Lore spoke. "Um…what _would_ you like me to, uh, address you as? So many of the Candy People call you 'Prince', so I was just wondering…?"

"No, no, it doesn't matter too much what you address me as. I could be Prince Gumball, Gumball, PG, anything is fine with me."

"Okay…You know what I am surprised about?" She felt the need to draw out the conversation as long as she could.

"What?" He seemed unsure.

"That you aren't betrothed, or that you don't even seem to be really looking for a wife." Silence. "It just seemed a bit odd to me, but, I mean, I wouldn't really understand royal things and such I suppose."

In the silence that followed, Lore couldn't be sure whether Gumball was mad at her, confused by her thought process, or maybe even something completely different. "I like pretending that I'm not really an adult." When she didn't respond, he became worried that perhaps he sounded a bit too childish. "It's just that, well when I was younger I figured that I should just start acting like an adult because I figured that would make the whole world seem right and real. Although, it's only been recently that I realized that it might've been nicer to act naïve and innocent and whatever else every child really should be."

She remained silent as they marched through the palaces great double doors. If it were possible for him to read minds, he would be devouring every word of hers. He inwardly revised his words. They still might've been a bit childish, but…

"I understand," she caught the look of relief that walked over my face. "I'm being serious, I…sorry. I was just thinking and I became lost in my thoughts, sorry."

He felt as though he should apologize in an instant, but then again, she could've just been lying or maybe she just didn't care at all. "No need to apologize, especially for thinking."

The pair had made it to the dining hall, where food was already waiting for them. "Why are you being so nice to me?" His magenta eyes widened at her. "I-I mean I appreciate it and all, but once you kick me out so I can go spend a little time with Fionna I'll… well, by that time I know that I'll be sad to just leave even though I get that you're just being hospitable and probably don't really even want me here. I…um, I just kind of feel like I'm intruding sometimes. And now I'm just rambling, aren't I? Oh, Glob, I just really need to stop-"

He grabbed both of her hands, gently. "Yes, stop," his voice was soft as if he was frightened he might scare her away. "If I didn't want you in my castle, you wouldn't be in my castle. If I didn't want to talk to you, if I despised you; you would know."

"…Okay." It wasn't intelligent or eloquent in any way, but it was the only thing that Lore could respond with. Her mind was going a million miles an hour.

_Oh, Glob, are my hands sweaty? My hands are probably sweaty. Wait, why aren't his hands sticky, like a gum? Should they be? Well I'm happy they aren't sticky, that'd be a little gross._

After mere moments they released each other and returned to their meal in silence.

* * *

The walk to their room was a bit more exciting than dinner. There were exactly three screams, and then what seemed to be an apparition zoomed past their noses. A lamp slowly fell over as if someone was setting it on the ground. By that time, they were clinging to each other.

Her arm was tightly wrapped around his waist. Before you coin her as a scared, little girl, let me state that the prince was holding onto her with both arms. One was wound around her collarbone, set squeezing her shoulder, the other around her shoulder blades. Another sound startled him, and he cowered behind her.

"C'mon, Gumball, it's probably just people pulling a prank." He seemed to shift in an instant from cowering boy to heroic man.

"You're right." In that moment he was a courageous king fighting against an enemy that didn't really exist. He took determined steps to her door, and went to open it. A small, white drape rushed out of her room. What else was there to do but trip it? A small yelp escaped the little person as they tumbled over; Gumball grabbed the being by the collar. "What are you doing?" There was obvious annoyance in his voice. It was a little boy, and odd, little brownie boy.

"Oh, uh, um…I, uh…I wasjustjokingprincepleasepleasepleasedon'ttellmymo m!" He became hysterical in an instant.

"It's alright…listen, it's alright." Gumball cooed to the boy. "Head on back to the orphanage before they start to wonder where you've gone off to." He said giving the brownie boy a little push.

"You're really pretty." He spoke to Lore, becoming tired and dreamy.

"Why, thank you," she said politely, doing a little curtsey.

"You think she's pretty too, right?" He tugged on Gumball's sleeve.

"I…" _This seems to happen quite often_, "Of c-"

"HE THINKS YOU'RE PRETTY. HE REALLY LIKES YOU." Brownie Boy stage whispered to her.

"Okay, you really need to go now." He threatened to call for Peppermint Maid and to tell the orphanage of the boys' excursions, which caused him to leap and run from the castle faster than Lore had seen any of her deer family run before.

"Do you think I'm pretty?" She chuckled while she spoke, as she had simply asked the question jokingly.

"Yes," he was confident in his answer.

"Oh," she stumbled into her room backwards, "thanks. Now, if I may be bold enough to state that you can be quite handsome…on occasion." She really thanked him with a quick peck on the cheek before slowly shutting the door.

Quite proud with himself now, the prince slowly back up to his own door that was a mere ten feet away from hers. As quickly as possible, he slipped on a pair of powder blue sweatpants and a white tank top. Readjusting his crown, and about to walk out his door, when the phone rang. He thought for a moment, but then decided to answer the phone instead of rushing of to a girl.

"Hey, PG, I'm really sorry about this…but, uh, Cake and I aren't going to be able to see Loreena for another week. Tell her that I'm really sorry, but, it can't be helped." He was excited but unhappy at the same time.

"What? Why?"

"It's just…I can't really tell you right now."

"You won't be attending my semi-annual ball then?"

"What?"

"My semi-annual ball is in five days. I was hoping you would be able to attend, but all is well."

"See ya," she sounded gloomy.

"Goodbye," he rushed to the door and out to the hallway. As he stood in front of Lore's door, he took a breath before knocking exactly three times. With his ear nearly pressed to the door, he could just make out the sound of feet walking to the door.

"Hello?" A timid voice called while opening the door. "Oh, it's just you." She didn't sound disappointed.

"I need to talk to you." She was wearing light blue sleep wear tonight. They entered the room and sat down on the two large bean bag chairs which were positioned right next to each other. "I have a little bit of bad news for you. You won't be able to see Fionna for another seven days."

"Oh…" she was disappointed, but not devastated. "Well that's alright, I'm sure there's a good reason." Her smile was so absolute and positive it made the prince grin back.

"Also, since you will be in the palace at the time of an upcoming event, I would like to ask you to join me at my semi-annual ball. I mean, there's no point in you staying up here in your room just because I didn't have the chance to give you a formal invitation."

"Of course," she beamed, "That sounds like fun! It'll give me the chance to make more friends too, I haven't met anyone but everyone from the Candy Kingdom, Fionna, and Cake." She had been about to mention another, but decided to not ruin the happy mood that Gumball was in. "But…ah, I don't have anything to wear. I don't usually bring ball gowns around with me."

"You should know by now that you don't need to worry, Peppermint Butler would be happy to make you something to wear. I could help as well if you would like, but I'm sure she would love to make you something. She finds you a very enjoyable person." Lore yawned and leaned toward Gumball.

"All of you are far too nice to me."

"Well…why shouldn't we be?" He stealthily moved a bit closer to her. At this point he realized that his eyes were beginning to droop.

"I don't know." And she was gone. Looking down at her and smiling, Gumball rested his eyes for a few minutes.

* * *

Early in the morning, when Lore awoke, she found herself staring at a very peaceful looking pink prince. Her reaction was to back away quickly and quietly. She remembered Gumball coming into her room to tell her about the ball and Fionna, but she had figured that when it became silent, he had left. She was half-asleep after all.

After overcoming her initial shock, she kneeled down next to him. He was snoring lightly and his hand, which had been loosely draped around her waist, was now pulled into his body. A blush stained her face when she realized his top had crept up to his chest, leaving his entire abdomen exposed. For a brief moment she panicked, not sure if she should wake him or not. After going back in forth in her mind, she decided.

"Gumball," she shook him gently, "Wake up." He merely grumbled and pulled away from her. "Fine, I'll do this a different way." She threw her hands up in the air after three more tries. Her footfalls didn't wake him as she ran to the bathroom and back with something in her hand.

He made a strange noise, somewhere between a yelp and a cough. "What... what was that for?! What's going on?!" Lore laughed lightly and set the small spray bottle down.

"Now I'm glad that Peppermint Maid decided to leave this for me." He sat up and she handed him a towel. "Sorry, you wouldn't wake up."

"Wait, did I…did I sleep in here."

"Yup," being embarrassed about it wasn't going to help anything, but her face lit up just as pink as his had been before his turned red.

"Oh…well I'm terribly sorry! That must seem so rude of me, and very improper!" He became so flustered when he realized his tank pulled up that he stood up in a flurry. "I am so terribly sorry!"

"Gumball, Gumball," she hopped to her feet and rested her hands on his shoulders. "Pipe down, it's alright. It's fine, but I am sorry I to spray you with freezing water. You do not wake up easily." She added, trying to lighten his mood.

He took a long breath and gave her a smile. "Well," he pushed her hands away from his shoulders holding them for a millisecond, "Goodbye for now, and a very good morning to you."

"Unhello, Gumball." She yawned and walked to her dresser.

By the time the prince was dressed that morning, he had already planned out the entire day.


	3. Two Dates in a Day

"So what are we doing today?" Lore met the prince in the main lobby wearing a pretty, cream, layered lace dress. She took in his blue shorts that were a bit rolled up to show a dark blue interior, light blue collared shirt, light pink button sweater and smiled.

"Well, I figured, since the weather is supposed to be so nice today, we could go on a picnic. You can meet Lord Monichromicorn." He said, tying one of his white shoes and picking up a yellow messenger bag. She looped her arm through his and the walked to one of the palace gardens.

"Who's he?" She trailed off as she saw in front of her an gigantic black horse-type creature.

"This is he." Gumball motioned to the great being in front of them. "Come on!" He pulled her onto the horse, sitting her in front of himself at the base of the Monichromicorn's gray mane. She swallowed, but the prince's gentle hand on her shoulder reassured her. She was suddenly glad that she had decided to put a pair of spandex shorts on under the short and flouncy dress. "Let's go, Lord!"

Lord lifted off the ground in such a flourish, Lore clutched the animal while trying to not hurt it. Gumball noticed her white knuckles almost immediately; he wrapped his hands around her waist. She stiffened for a moment, but slowly became comfortable in his embrace.

"It's alright, I was kind of scared the first couple of times with Lord." He rested his chin on her shoulder.

"Humph," she tried crossing her arms, but it jolted her too much so she grabbed the princes' arms and held them closer to her. "I'm not scared." His light laugh made her grin and bravely lean back into him. They sat in silence for a while.

"We're going to have to jump off in a few seconds." He said, pulling away from her. She turned to look at him.

"Wait, what?"

It was too late for questions though, realizing that he really should've said something sooner, he grabbed her under her arms and pulled her to the ground with him. They landed in the grass, side-by-side, laughing.

"Sorry," Lore said after a few moments. "I guess I was kind of lost in thought."

"No, no," he sat up and set down his bag, "I probably should've said something earlier." He opened the bag, which appeared to be stuffed, and laid out a grey blanket. He pulled boxes of food out of the bag, and a small vase with a little cork in it. There was already water, but no flowers. He set out the food and jumped to his feet to pick a couple of flowers that were nearby. Lore took his bag, and set it to the side, noticing a dog face stitched to its side. Gumball came back and plopped down, putting the flowers in their holder.

"What kind are those?" She said as he handed her a sandwich.

"The flowers?" She nodded, staring at them. They were a pretty, silvery color with a black center. "They're _Cana puella pulchra_, or grey grimsies."

"Pretty grey girl?" She loosely translated.

"Yeah, I…I don't know, they, uh, they kind of reminded me of your eyes." He rubbed the back of his neck and stared at the plain fleece, blushing.

There was a lot of food, but after Lore had finished her sandwich, she lied back and stared up at the clouds. The sun was darting in and out of the afternoon clouds. Gumball heaved a sigh, tossed his sweater near his bag, and lied down with her.

"Do you see that, it looks kind of like a tulip that's smiling?" He nodded, keeping his eyes on her. "Why do you think you like science so much?" She folded her hands over her stomach and turned her head toward him.

"Well, science makes things make sense. It creates, and destroys, and does everything in between. Science is the world, it's…it's who _we_ are." He realized how faraway he sounded, and shook his head. "I must apologize, that was…that was rather strange sounding." Thankfully, all Lore did was smile and look back at him.

"I think it sounded fine, maybe a little rehearsed, but I'm sure you get that question a lot."

He propped himself up on his elbow. "You humans are so interesting."

"What do you mean? I've only a met a couple, and the one girl, I think her name was Loreena or something like that, she was pretty weird." She spoke lightly, but with an obvious playful tone.

"I find people that are pretty weird are also pretty smart, and usually pretty nice."

"I don't know him too well, but I've heard the Candy Prince is weird…and nice…I'm not sure about his intelligence though. Anyway, go on with what you were saying about us weird humans being 'interesting'."

"Okay," he readjusted himself, "You're just so complex, and so old. You're one of the oldest races in all of Aaa, besides some of the germs. I know that most of us…well, we're all basically humans that have been mutated beyond recognition. One person who I know for a fact used to be human is Ice Queen, but she's long past being sane."

"Was Marshall Lee human?" It slipped out of her mouth before she could think about the prince's feelings.

"No," he replied stonily, "He's half-demon, half-vampire." There was a silence that hung in the air; it made everything still for a moment. "But back to my point. I mean, even though your basic traits are the same as Fionna's, you're so different."

"We had different parents, this shouldn't be too hard for a chemistry whiz to comprehend."

It really wasn't hard for him to understand at all, that kind of knowledge was very remedial. What he didn't understand, was how he could be so attracted to this human, and not the other one.

_It's probably because I have much more in common with Lore. But I thought she was pretty the moment I saw her, that's not to say that Fionna is ugly, but she doesn't hold the same kind of splendor that this human does._ He thought as she spoke.

"Who's Ice Queen?" She asked at last.

"She's this crazy, old woman who is kind of obsessed with me. She's kidnapped me a few times." Lore burst out in laughter that once it entered the air it hung for a few seconds before disappearing. The prince found himself smiling along with her, "Don't laugh at me, she's really insane."

"I believe you." She said reaching out to his shirt.

"W-what are you doing?" He stuttered, staring down at her hand. _Why am I so awkward and…naïve isn't the word I'm looking for, but…_

"I just wanted to see if your shirt was soft." She said softly, smiling at his chest.

Suddenly, there was a crash in the distance, and then something that distinctly sounded like an explosion. Lore jerked her hand away from Gumball, and looked in the direction of the sound.

"HEADS UP!" A voice yelled. Gumball didn't know what to do, he internally panicked. What if the explosive came close to them? What if either of them was injured? He heard the projectile nearing the ground, so in a rushed moment he was suddenly on top of Lore, trying to protect her. Everything happened in an instant. The plunk of it hitting the ground, the silence, and the deafening explosion; all of it happened in slow motion. Time sped up, however, when the ground around them shifted, and they were showered with tiny pieces of earth.

"Are you alright?" Lore coughed as the dust settled around them. He rolled away from her, leaving his arm under her shoulder blades.

"I'm…yeah, I'm fine." He tried smiling through his wince. She was up an on her knees in an instant.

"No, you're not. Turn over."

"Really, I'll be fine."

"Turn over." She was determined.

"…Fine," he grumbled and flipped onto his stomach. "See, I'm alright."

"You are not alright." There was dust all over the back of his shirt, a few tiny pebbles, and one medium sized piece lodged in his back. "Oh, Glob, you're bleeding." Even though the color of the blood was a bit off, she noticed it for what it was.

"Really, I'm sure it's not that bad." Gumball sounded confident, but he didn't bother to move.

"Here," she was completely ignoring him now, "Take of your shirt."

"Wh-Why?!" His voice cracked.

"Because I'm going to pull a rock out of your back and I'm not going to do that if I can't see what I'm doing. I'll end up hurting you more." She was already tugging up his shirt. He propped himself up on his elbows as she carefully moved the shirt off of the two shards that torn through the fabric. She gingerly touched his back, trying to figure out what to do. "Do you have a medicine kit, or something?"

"Yes, there should be one in my bag." She rummaged through the yellow bag until she found a tiny, clear box. "This is going to hurt a little, so just breathe." Lore said placing one hand on his back, near the shrapnel, and the other on the piece. In one swift motion she pulled it out.

The prince tensed for a moment, "Ow…" he muttered.

"You're okay, you won't need stitches." She wiped away the blood with a cloth and started on the second. As he was sitting up, she slapped three Band-Aid's over his wounds. "I think they ran away after…oh, uh, do you want your shirt back?!" She stood, thrusting his shirt into his hands, blushing.

"Thank you," he smiled. "Well," he said packing up the extra food, "What would you like to do now? We could go back to the labs, wander around the Candy Kingdom, go visit other kingdom's…?"

"How about we go to the ocean?" She said folding up the blanket.

"Alright, we can go back to kingdom and grab a few things."

"Okay," she said.

* * *

In no time at all, they were riding on Lord's back and hovering over the palace. This time, they landed. Lore used Gumball for balance, resting her hands on his shoulders when she hopped off. As the prince had phoned Peppermint Maid while they were on the way, she was standing on the steps with a basket.

"How much longer?" Lore leaned back into the princes' chest. He laced his fingers together around her waist, and let her head rest on his shoulder.

"A few minutes," he breathed.

Soon enough they could see the bright blue ocean and the sandy ground. When Lord dropped them off this time, she was prepared. "Hopefully no bombs this time," she joked laying out a towel. "I wish the we could go swimming, but I don't think I have a swim suit. Unless, Peppermint Maid….yes, she did!" She said, fishing around her bag. Both of them jogged behind rocks to go change.

Lore looked down at her cobalt tankini and shorts, and then peeked out from behind her rock. Gumball was already waiting for her, sitting on a towel. She skipped over to him and pulled him to his feet before he could say a word.

"C'mon!" She whined, pulling him into the water.

"Calm down, haven't you ever been to the ocean?" He asked laughing as the water rose around their shins.

"Only once, when I was really little; I barely remember it, but it's the only memory I have of my parents so I've got to keep hold of it." It might've have been painful to listen to, but she said it so lightly you couldn't help but give her a half smile.

"I've only been here a few times, but I was younger then. But that was all before I took over the kingdom, now I can barely leave." They sat in the water; it came up to Lore's neck.

"I can see how being in charge could become a little…bothersome after a while."

"I suppose it does, the longest I spent away from the palace was when Mochro and I saved Fionna and Cake from Ricardia. And then I was stuck in the Ice Kingdom worrying, so it wasn't much of a vacation." He sighed, stirring the water around him.

"Tell me what happened." She said setting her chin in her palms.

"Well," he seemed hesitant to speak, "Ricardia was the Ice Queen's heart; she was evil and lured me into a trap so I would marry her. But she didn't know how to properly make a body, so it was pretty easy to beat her. She poisoned Fionna and Cake with zanoids, and Mochro was in pretty bad shape by the end of the whole…adventure."

"…Oh, wow."

"Yeah…but I'm sure you've been on much more exciting adventures than me."

"Well I've never had evil, crazy, heart-mutant-person try to marry me, but my way here was kind of exciting. Actually the only thing that happened was I sailed through a storm while avoiding a sea monster." Silence hung in the air for a few seconds.

"Tell me about your childhood." Gumball said.

"I, um, okay…well I lived with my human parents for until I was six. I don't remember too much about that. Then, these talking deer decided to take me in I guess. They were friends with my parents. They raised me for the past eleven years. They gave me a lab to do science in, books, they made me smart. Both of them were really sick when I left, but they almost made me go. They said that if I didn't leave then, I wouldn't have another chance to go." Gumball stayed silent for a while. "Well, anyway…" she trailed off, hoping her would speak again. Something slimy brushed her leg and she jumped.

"Are you alright?" He asked, as she looked around.

"I'm fine, a fish or something just touched me…and it's poisonous." She said spotting the tiny culprit; it stood out with its bright green and blue color.

"Wait, what, will you be fine?!" He was whipping his head this way and that trying to find the fish. Just then she spotted a whole school of them swimming towards the first one.

"Yeah…yeah, it didn't bite me, but we should probably get out of the water." She said calmly, ignoring the stinging sensation in her ankle. Lore tried to hide the fact that she wanted to limp and pass out from the dizziness and oncoming fever. "Gumball," she whispered as they plopped onto the towels, "I'm sorry…it bit me." Black dots clouded her vision. Faintly, she heard him saying something to her.

Blinking hard she opened her eyes again. "What?"

"We need to get back to the palace, but we'll have to walk. We can leave the bags here."

"Alright,"

"Let's go home." He whispered as they began walking up the hill to the grasslands.

* * *

Gumball was sitting next to Lore's bed, barely holding onto her hand as he fell asleep. Surprisingly, he hadn't panicked when she had passed out. Besides, she had held up until they had made it to the palace, so they weren't too far away from help.

"You should go to your room to sleep, Prince." Peppermint Maid startled him in his half-asleep state. "You have things to do tomorrow."

He yawned and leaned back in the plush chair. "What…what's tomorrow?" He rubbed his eyes and leaned his head back to look at Peps.

"You have a royal meeting with the Duchess of Nuts to discuss broadening the kingdom, make sure there's no pudding in the room. Then, you have brunch with Breakfast Prince, after that you must finalize the plans for the ball. Next, you have to go to the orphanage until a little after dinner." She said everything in a monotone that meant she was checking off a mental list.

"Uhhhhhhg," he whined like a teenager.

"…You know," she said focusing on the healing girl, "You only have a little under a year."

"What do I have a little under a year for?" He asked drowsily.

"To marry, I think that it should be this girl. That and the Bubblegum Guardian's haven't stopped pestering me about getting you a girlfriend." She muttered to herself.

"Oh, yes, of course. Wait," he was suddenly awake, "I've known this girl for two days."

"And your parents knew each other for even less time before they were wed."

"Did they even love each other?" He snapped back. The Maid smacked the back of his head.

"Tell me." With that she was gone.

Gumball rubbed his hand over his face, and stood. "I suppose I really should leave you now, I'm sorry." He yawned. He looked at her for another moment before turning his back and walking away. "Goodnight."

Ten minutes later, the prince was lying in his bed, thinking aloud. "I suppose she was right." He said, remembering how long his parents had known each other before a proposal was made. "But they were both royalty, it was…different." He drifted off into thought.

_Lore would think that I was crazy even I just asked her on a date. Unless today counted as a date, though both of them went terribly wrong… Oh, Glob, I'm such a failure._

* * *

**Okay I am insanely sorry for how late this is, and how it's a little shorter than normal. I had a ton of ideas for other stories, just started up golf, I'm working at the local fair almost every day so I can make money towards a band trip to Florida. So, yeah…sorry, but on the bright side updates will be more regular from now on.**


	4. Council and Advice

**Okay, so this is going to sound kind of strange, but can you guys picture the characters in a realistic way (or even like anime) in stead of in the cartoon version. I just don't envision them as the normal cartoon way so I didn't really want you to either, but if you still want to envision them as cartoony that's alright, I just...yeah just read the story please...**

* * *

Lore was sitting on a riverbank. The black water was rushing by too fast for it to be safe, but it didn't make a sound. Everything was completely and eerily silent. She stood, looking around for someone in the darkness. Waves crashed closed and closer to her until she was swept into the water.

"This is just a dream." She whispered to herself, taking a deep breath in. The tense feeling of dread crept into her mind, and made her chest tighten. Every time she swam to the surface, something pulled her back under. It had long spindly fingers and sharp nails that dug into her ankles. The third time she was pulled under, she saw it.

Her head snapped around to look at its reptilian and bat-like face with glowing red eyes. It was grinning at her; this sickly grin that made her want to cry. It pointy, yellow teeth opened to reveal a snake tongue that slowly flicked towards her. She tried kicking away from it, but its grasp was too strong for her. She woke with a start, sitting straight up in bed, breathing hard.

Lore looked around, becoming flustered, before she realized that she was in the Palace Infirmary. She looked down, noticing dotted the hospital gown that had been put on over her swim suit. Slowly, she sat up and inspected her ankle. There were three stitches on her foot where she had been bitten.

Her head swung around as she heard someone walk in. "Hello," a greenish man with brown hair, "I'm Dr. Prince, how are you feeling?"

"Better than last night," she said shifting on the bed.

"Do your muscles feel soar or tired at all?"

"Nope, I feel fine."

"Then you are free to go. I'll have Peppermint Maid will tell you to come down when you're stitches are ready to come out, but if I'm not here Prince Gumball can do it." Lore stood, taking care to not put too much weight on her foot.

"Thank you," she said as he walked away. Once he had left, she made her way to the door and up to her room.

As she was taking off her hospital gown someone knocked on the door twice. "It's Peppermint Maid." She considered asking the woman to wait and change out of her bathing suit, but instead…

"Come in!" The maid opened the door quickly.

"I simply came to inform you that you will not be able to see the Prince until tonight."

"Oh…" _And I wanted to thank him_, "Would it be okay if I left the palace and the village for a while then?" _If he's not here I might as well do something useful with my time._

"Of course, miss." She said closing the door.

Lore peeled off her suit and headed to the bathroom for a long, hot shower. She looked around at the varying soaps and chose strawberry. Luckily, she didn't have to be indecisive about her hair products; the only kind she had was vanilla. Shutting off the water and tightly wrapping a pink towel around herself, she skipped out to her room and began rummaging through the drawers.

Eventually, she found a pretty, red dress that flared out to the top of her knees and slowly walked out of her room, and then out the palace doors. The few people that were out and about the village waved to her and smiled.

"Miss Lore! Miss Lore!" She swirled around to see the two gumdrop children running up to her. They wrapped their arms around her knees and stared up at her.

"Hello," she said back cheerily.

"We saw you and the Prince walk in through the town yesterday. You looked really tired are you okay?"

"I'm much better now, thank you."

"Is the Prince going to be King soon?" They both stepped away from her.

"Well his birthday is almost a year away and he doesn't even have a Queen." She reached down to adjust her black boots, and pulled her black, satin gloves a little further up her wrist.

"But if he made you his Queen he'd be a little closer, right?"

"Kids," she kneeled down to be eye-level with them, "If Gumball ever asks to marry me, and I doubt he will, I will personally tell you. Until then, just don't spread rumors like that, please?"

"Oh…okay!" They cheerily said in sync and ran off. Lore sighed and kept walking.

* * *

Lore had been walking for close to a few hours when she decided to sit down inside a circle of large boulders that sat on the edge of the tree line. Thankfully, she had been smart enough to bring along some food for lunch.

Suddenly, the wind picked up. Her hair flew into her face, and she set down her sandwich. Just as soon as it started the swirling wind died down. In front of her, the ground depressed, as if someone was stepping on it. In the next second, red converse and grey jeans appeared in front of her. She looked up at Marshall Lee, who was hidden from the sun by his parasol.

"Hello again, Loreena." He floated a few inches above the ground and then sat, still floating. When she didn't say anything back he kept talking. "Okay, I know that Bubba hates me and all; but, c'mon I'm friends with the other human left on Aaa. You can trust me."

"…I...alright," if he was friends with Fionna then he was fine, "You can just call me Lore though."

"Eehhh, I'll just call you Loreena."

"…Okay," she had no idea what else to say, so instead she shoved the rest of the sandwich into her mouth.

"You smell very nice." He moved so he was no longer sitting across from her, but instead next to her. If his parasol hadn't been between them, their hips would've been touching.

"Um, thank you?" She said, sounding unsure of herself.

"You're welcome." He said tugging her shoulder, which was shielded by his parasol, closer to him nearly putting it in his mouth.

"What are you doing?!"

"Just relax…" she tried swatting him away, but his grip was too strong. He took the puffy sleeve in his mouth and began sucking. _Well at least he isn't trying to kill me, but I'd like a dress from Peppermint Maid to stay intact. _

"What are you **doing**?!" She asked more forcefully this time. He simply ignored her, so without giving too much thought to it, she smacked his parasol over to let him be revealed to the light. He hissed, recoiled, and reached out to put his umbrella back over his head.

"What the heck?!"

"You're pompous." She said coldly and simply. His whole demeanor changed with those two words.

"…You're too much like that stupid prince. It's bad enough that I stoop to Fionna's hero complex, I'm not going to put up with this." He grabbed the parasol and thrust it open more, almost breaking it.

She sat there for a while, shocked at what a child he was. That had happened so quickly and it was all unnecessary and strange. After a minute though, she was packing up her things and heading back to the kingdom.

"I can tell you don't want to be here."

"What?" The pink prince looked up from his toast.

"I know I changed the time of our meeting last minute, I hope that didn't interfere with any of your current plans." Breakfast Prince wiped some crumbs off the table.

"No, that's not it. I was just finalizing some plans, I have to go to the orphanage next."

"You love the orphanage, what's wrong?"

"You realize I need to marry in nine months?" Gumball pressed his fingers to his temples.

"Yes, of course." He placed his spoon down and folded his hands.

"…It's just somewhat shocking, for a lack of better words."

"Mhmm…" he didn't bother to press it, that made Prince Gumball pleased that he wasn't with LSP at the moment. "I believe that we are done, you may leave if you so desire."

"Thank you." With that he rushed off to the orphanage.

"I'm sorry Prince, they're all asleep." One of the caretakers whispered to him, standing in the dim doorway.

"Oh no, and they were expecting me?!" He felt as if this whole day had been a waste of time.

"No, not at all. We wanted it to be a surprise, maybe tomorrow?" She asked hopefully.

"Of course, I'm not too busy then." She began to close the door when he grabbed it just in time, "Would, would it be alright if I brought a friend to accompany me?" _Glob, I sound like a seven-year-old who wants to have a sleepover._

"Of course!" She whispered.

"Thank you, have a good night." He called as he turned around.

"You too, Prince."

Lore was sitting at the main dining table, examining her shoulder. The fabric was a little torn, and her dress was pale gray from the sleeve down to her left rib cage. It almost made a smooth, wobbly, triangle. She picked her head up and looked around the long, empty table. She had wanted to explore some more of Gumball's labs, but she felt as if she was intruding the palace without him there. She stood, walking to the door to inform Peppermint Maid that she was finished with the meal and was going to go to her room now.

The girl kept her eyes glued to the floor, watching her feet and observing how they naturally stepped.

She felt a hand lightly touch her head, "Lore?" Her head snapped up to look up at the prince.

"Gumball!" She wrapped her arms around his waist for a brief hug that only last two seconds exactly. "How wa-"

"What happened to your dress?" He placed his hands on her upper arms.

"…Nothing," she tried to avoid the question like a five-year-old. She didn't want him to mad. The prince gave her a knowing look like an adult scolding their child might. "Fine, I went out and Marshall Lee found me. I guess he tried to suck the red out of my dress." Her attention went back to her feet.

"Lore," he placed a few fingers under her chin and pulled up so their eyes would meet, "It's not your fault. He's a bit…outgoing, in a bad way, sometimes."

She nodded and smiled. It clicked in his brain how close they were, and Gumball's pink face was dusted with a cherry red shade. He pulled away with a jerk and began walking toward the stairs. "So tell me what happened." He said as she took his arm.

"Okay, well I went out to look around the grasslands…"

...

"You called him pompous?" The prince was laughing so hard there were almost tears in his eyes.

"Well…yeah, he was acting it."

"He's always like that." Gumball smiled, setting his hands on her shoulders.

"I've noticed." She remarked as he leaned closer to her and brushed his lips against her cheek. It was too brief to be called a peck.

"Goodnight, Lore." Her eyes were wide and she swallowed hard.

"Night, Gumball." She said to his back and closing door. Slowly, she turned and entered her own room.

_What is this? What are we? We're not dating or anything are we? I mean I kissed him on the cheek the night before last and he gave me a kiss back...Oh, man, I really like him don't I?_

Gumball lied in his own bed, proud of himself. Maybe by the time of his ball he would have the courage to kiss her…! No, no, no, no! He couldn't possibly be thinking thoughts akin to that. That would make him improper. He stood, rushing to his door.

"Yes, Prince?"

"What am I going to do Peps?!"

"Whoa, whoa, calm down. What are you talking about?" She sat him down in a low chair, so he was only a little taller than her now.

"Lore," he ran his hand through his hair, knocking off his crown in the process. The maid caught it and placed it in his lap. "I don't know what to do…I really like her."

"Then go on dates with her."

"I tried that twice in one day and both times something went horribly wrong."

"Just spend time with her here in the palace, plus the balls coming up in only a few days."

"It's in a week." He said calmly, examining the crown.

"It is in three days. Today is the third and in three day's it will be the sixth, when you planned to have the ball…" She took the crown from his bored hands, and placed it his head.

"Oh, Glob…" He ran his hand down his face.

"You've grown so much, Bubba, but you're still young." The little maid softly grasped his hand in both of hers.

"I can't say that you've shot up too much since I've known you." He managed a smile.

"They would like her. They would approve." He looked at her hard.

"Would they? She's not royal, there's no…no _benefit_ in becoming so enamored with her." Gumball chewed the inside of his lip.

"You'll be marrying the one you love."

"C'mon, don't get sappy, Peps." He shrugged away her hands.

"I'm not being sappy, you twit, and I'm telling you the truth. You see your parents in a much different light than I do. They knew that they loved each other the moment they saw each other across the room, both of them being royal was only a coincidence."

"…Really?" He sounded hopeful. She nodded once, and he was set. "Should I tell her that I like her?"

"I'm not going to solve all of your problems for you man!" She threw her hands up in the air and walked in the other direction down the hall. He smirked and watched her leave.

Gumball stood, considering whether or not he should knock on Lore's door and tell her right then and there. In the end of the five minute long debate, he chose to go back to his room and wait until the next day.

* * *

**So...I'm going to blatantly beg for reviews right now. PLEASE. REVIEW.**


	5. Accident Prone Person

**Okay so does anyone else think that Trommy (I don't know the pink one), who is one of those jerks from the episode "Finn the Human" looks kind of like Prince Gumball…? That can't be a coincidence. Also, anyone else think of ****_The Breakfast Club_**** when Finn Mertens yells "SUCK MY SHIRT!", it sort of reminded me of "Eat. My. Shorts." Anyone else? Just me…okay.**

The next day, Lore awoke later than usual. When she saw the clock she rushed get dressed and comb through her still damp hair. It hadn't quite dried from her shower the night before. Today she slipped on a pretty, t-shirt dress with a strange tribal print on it and lace up boots.

Bursting out of her room, she realized that Peppermint Maid wasn't there. Shrugging, she ran down the hallway and to the large staircase. Suddenly, she stopped short, when she arrived at the bottom of the stairs. There were about sixty Candy people bustling around, and after some observation, she caught sight of Gumball who was shouting out orders.

"So is everyone clear on what their job is for today?" There was a collective "Yes, Prince."

"Okay, good, I have work to attend to. Have a good day everyone!" As he was walking toward the main dining hall, he finally made eyes contact with her. His whole face lit up and she jogged to him. "Lore, I-"

"Gumball, what's going on? Oh, is this for the ball? Sorry," she clamped her hand over her mouth, "Sorry, you were talking, go ahead. Sorry."

He looked at her for a moment before laughing and continuing through a door that Lore had never noticed before.

"I have to sign and fill out quite a few papers today, so if you would like to do something else, you are welcome to." He paused in the doorway.

"No, it's alright. I just like spending time with you." Lore shrugged as he allowed her into the small office.

The prince sat down behind a desk and motioned her to sit at the chair in front of him. "This is by far the most exhilarating part of being royalty." He sighed.

"And it looks so complex and challenging." She replied.

"Well," he flipped one page over and scrawled a signature at the bottom, "This isn't exactly what I thought I was going to be doing for hours when I became…when I would be put in charge."

"If it isn't too difficult to explain while you're signing and reading those, could you tell me what you thought it would be like?"

"…Hmm, I thought that I would be quite the lady's man at this point in my life." He smirked up at her, and she returned his remark with quick, light laugh. "My parents kept me quite sheltered from their everyday work, so I had no clue really. Sometimes I thought out clever battle strategies and plans when I wasn't in the lab. So I suppose that's what I thought being in charge would be: Planning out how I would defend my kingdom against all those who dared to lay siege to this beautiful kingdom."

"Why would anyone come to hate the Candy Kingdom and it glorious ruler?" She said draping her legs over the side of the chair and staring up at the intricate ceiling.

"You'd be surprised…" another flipping of papers, "Besides, the average Candy citizen and even my Banana guards aren't really _fit_ for the job of a valiant knight."

"Hmm…maybe you'll just have to fight all the wars on your own. I could be part of your army if you were desperate."

"I would never allow you to be in any army, especially one of my own."

"…Am I not fit for battle, Prince?"

"No, it's not-"

"It's my lack of formal training isn't?" She joked.

"I just…I would never want you of all people put into any kind of battle. It's just far too dangerous."

"As long as you're not saying that just because I'm a girl, I guess that's nice. But I hope you realize that I wouldn't be too thrilled about you marching off into battle. I couldn't imagine…" She trailed off, avoiding the end of the sentence.

"Lore," he flipped over three more sheets of paper and started out confident, "I was wonder…if well," the confidence had vanished in a second. He couldn't go back on the sentence now though. "Would you be comfortable with me taking a sampleofyourblood…so, uh, I could, um, we could find out which area from Aaa or one of the outlying areas you're from?" He took a deep, silent breath at the end of the non-stop sentence.

"Oh, okay. That might be interesting. What if Fionna and I are related? That would be strange," she gave him a crooked smile, "considering we look nothing alike."

"It is possible," he spoke while mentally chastising himself, "Since you are part of an endangered species, technically."

"I'd forgotten." The sarcasm was plummeting from her words. "Sorry," she shook her head, "It's a…it's pretty sad that once Fionna and I are gone there won't be an humans left."

He'd never really thought about that before. Although, before he could elaborate, she kept on speaking. "I just—I guess that I'll just feel sorry for my child or children, if I have any, because they'll be half human and half…well, whatever the father is. I don't think that sorry is the right word, maybe if they get bullied for being a… 'half-breed'. Good, Grod, I don't even know what I'm talking about anymore." She slapped her hand over her eyes.

"I'm sure you do." He reassured her and leaned over her desk. "I'll be done in a few minutes."

"Okay," she flipped her legs to the front of the chair and stood. Without much though, she strolled behind him and peered over his shoulder.

"What…" signature and flip, "are you…" another sign and flip, "doing?" He asked, slightly amused.

"Watching you from a different angle."

"Explain to me why this angle is much interesting than where you were before. Be sure to use lots of details." She rested her elbows on the back of the chair and cupped her chin in her hands.

"This way I can see your signature and gather important data about your true personality."

"So…" he flipped another page, "What deep dark secrets does my signature tell you?"

"Hmm…well it isn't big and it isn't small, so you're not an egomaniac, but you don't have too many self-esteem issues. It all slants to the right, so that usually means you're ambitious. And, um, the 'B.' for your first initial has a loop that goes into 'Gumball' so that means you're and thinker and a people pleaser. Oh, and the fact that you don't write out your first name, only your last, means you're pretty sensible.

"You only have one line under your name, so you want people to know that it was you, but you're not too pompous about it. Overall, you're a normal person, I guess. Though, that makes you sound too boring…hey!" She chirped, remembering something that she had meaning to ask him.

"Yes?' He chuckled.

"I was wondering if you would allow me to call you Bubba…"

"Oh," he smiled sweetly and swiveled the chair around so quickly she had to catch herself before she could fall onto the price. "Oh! Sorry, I didn't realize you were…" he coughed, "Anyhow, of course it's alright, and you needn't sound so formal."

"Sorry, I didn't mean to make it sound as if-"

"No, no, that's not what I meant at all." He stood. "I don't want you to treat me like royalty, or feel intimidated by me at all. We're…we're _friends_, right?" Maybe he was just imagining the slightly disappointed look that flashed over her face for a millisecond.

"Sorry," she swallowed.

"Stop apologizing." He folded her into an embrace. For a moment, he was worried, she hadn't returned it immediately. Then, as _he_ was about to apologize for what she had done; she wrapped her arms around his waist.

"Alright," she mumbled into his chest. The two of them stayed like that for a while, neither wanting to leave the warm embrace. "Bubba," she whispered, roping her arms around his neck and resting her chin on his shoulder.

"Yes?" He asked softly.

"Nothing, actually, I just wanted to use your name, so-" she caught herself before apologizing.

"Lore," his fingers began tracing circles on her back, a nervous tick, "I…I'm not the most eloquent person in the world, even though took years and years of…well, anyway, I just I don't know. Not that I don't know because I do know, but I don't really know how to, uh, well…I-I, you make my dopamine levels strange. And, uh, I…well, um, we're kind of like, I think we're similar to and it's just my personal opinion that we're kind of comparable to the chemical-"

"Bubba," she pulled away a few inches so she could look up at him, "Are you trying to say that you like me?"

"I…uh, yeah. Yep."

"Oh…ah, okay." She was nearly speechless. He wasn't sure what else to do. So he kissed her. She didn't have time to wear off the shock of it before he pulled away.

"I'm sorry, oh Glob, I'm so, so, so, so sorry. I wasn't thinking and-"

_KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!_

"Prince Gumball," Peppermint Maid swung open the door, "I need—oh, there you are Miss. Lore. I need you." She grabbed the girls' wrist and yanked her from the room.

"What was goin' on in there?" The little maid asked at last, pinning the dress.

"What, ow, what do you mean?" Lore asked, ignoring a single sharp annoying pain in her side.

"I saw the way you two were staring at each other…"

"…Are we almost done with this? I feel a little dizzy." Peps nodded and carefully pulled the dress off of her.

"Let me check your temperature." She bent over and pulled a cylinder out of her bag. "Sit down; I'm just going to run this along your forehead." Lore plopped onto the ground. "You're not getting me off topic, by the way, tell me what happened." The little machine beeped.

"It's illogical to really like someone you've just met isn't it?"

"Nope, did you know that the Prince's parents decided to marry only about a day before they met? It had nothing to do with royal business either, neither of their kingdom really benefited from the wedding. They both simply knew, as soon as the two laid eyes on each other they knew. Now I'm not saying that you were supposed to fall in love with the boy at first sight, but…"

"I…I don't know. I got a strange feeling when we looked at each other, but, I…I just don't know."

"You're temperature is a bit high by the way…I'll escort you down to the infirmary once we're done here."

"What you mean? Didn't I basically say that I liked him…?"

"You didn't tell me what happened in that room." She felt intimidated by the little old lady.

"We…we kissed i-it really doesn't matter I mean I'm sure it was-"

"Good Glob, that boy is such a wimp." She rested a hand where the bridge of her nose should've been.

"What?" Lore asked, following the exasperated maid out of the empty room.

"Well he didn't even—did he say that he liked you, at least?"

"Well, yes, I mean I had to ask him, but he said he did."

"Oh, well that makes a world of a difference. I didn't think he had it in him. That's probably why it's taken him much longer than his father, he's a little more reserved." Lore gawked at the back of the woman's head as they rushed down a staircase.

"I don't think that's the only reason!" Her voice went up an octave.

"Meh, whatever…" Peppermint Maid trailed off as she sat the girl down on a bed in a space that was sectioned off from the rest of the room by a curtain. "I'll go get a doctor. You have a temperature of 101." With that the maid briskly walked off.

"A hundred and one!" She whispered to herself, lying down. Black dots swam into her vision again, and a migraine took over her mind. "I can't go one day without something terrible happening, can I?" Then, the darkness overcame her. She fell into a deep, troubled sleep.

Rocks were sliding down the steep hill around her. But Lore couldn't do anything but hang on with the last of her strength to an outcropping on the mountainside. The sky was such a bright pure white; she couldn't bear the look at it. Slowly, she looked over her shoulder and into the foaming sea below. Birds chirped and spoke to her as if nothing was happening. She was certain that she was going to drown, but when?

"Lore…Lore, please wake up. C'mon, if you don't…Doctor Prince said you would go into a coma. Please wake up." Her eyes slowly fluttered, as her half-awake body registered his pleads. The Prince was nearly on the verge of crying. Lore had been asleep for over a day, constantly thrashing around as if she was having a bad dream.

"Bubba," she croaked, trying to sit up on her elbow. He stood and sat on the edge of her bed. While asleep she had been moved back to her room.

"That would be I." He smiled down at her sadly. All at once she whipped her arms around him, nearly weeping.

"I had so many nightmares."

"I figured as much," he said sullenly, "It turns out the poison had not fully exited your system. You, ah, you could've died." He swallowed.

"Oh," she whispered, mainly to herself.

"…Would you like to talk about the dreams you experienced?"

"No," she answered sharply, "I'll…I think I'll just take a shower now." She stumbled as she jumped out of the bed, noticing she was wearing the same clothes.

"I'll be leaving then." He quickly made his way to the door, but she caught him by his wrist.

"No! I mean…please, at least stay in the room. Please." He didn't need to be asked twice. So he nearly followed her into the bathroom, sitting in a chair next to the door.

The shower turned on a few minutes after she closed the door. _I suppose we should talk about the kiss and what we are now. But if I don't know what's going on, how is she? Or are we supposed to figure this out together? I'm sure Mother and Father didn't have these issues….._

It seemed like ages before it finally clicked off and he heard her step out of the large tub/shower. Slowly the door creaked open. He turned to say something, but quickly stopped and shut his mouth. Lore had a pale blue towel wrapped tightly around her shivering body.

"Sorry," she said back to him heading to her dresser, "I forgot clothes." Her easy laugh drifted through the air.

"I, yes, I mean of course." He stared at his hands starting to wring them as he waited for her.

"Sorry," she mumbled, coming back out with shorts and loose tank top on. She treaded over to the bed, pulling him along with her. For a while they sat in a comfortable silence. "I like you, a lot. And…and you like me, right?"

"Yes." He said, finally sounding sure of himself.

"What happens now?" She said to her kneecaps, hiding behind sopping wet, brown hair.

"Well, uh, I suppose we could go to the ball together."

"But are we _together_ now?" Her head snapped up so she could meet his eyes.

"Yes." Twice in a day he sounded completely sure of himself while talking to this girl. It was a new record. Bravely, he twined his fingers into hers and stood.

"Where are we going?" She asked to the back of his head as he opened the door.

"I need to show you someplace."

"I'm not going to be mortally wounded this time am I?" She smiled, but felt his hand tense in hers for a brief moment.

Feigning laughter he said, "No, definitely not." They stopped short at a plain wall.

"What…?"

"Just wait…" he mumbled, knocking a password. The brick moved down to reveal a hole big enough for a small child to easily walk to through. "C'mon!" He called, rushing her through the door before it closed. The passage was pitch black, but he knew it by heart. He barely felt Lore's hand tighten up a little in his. Her other hand loosely gripped his elbow of the hand that was holding hers. "You'll have to get behind me now." He said letting her hand fall from his. She moved her hand away from his arms and rested it on his back, clutching the fabric of his shirt.

"Are you scared because of the nightmares you had?" He was trying to be helpful.

"N-Yes, but I don't want to talk about that right now, sorry." She added weakly.

"That's alright; most people don't really like talking about bad dreams." He replied soothingly. "And don't apologize." The prince added as the small light at the end of the tunnel became larger and larger.

As they walked outside a large gust of wind blew by, making Lore shiver. There were three bean bags set up like a mattress on the floor.

"We must be on top of the palace, right?" She asked smiling.

"Yes, we're at the highest point actually. I used to come up here all the time when I was a kid, and I still do, but not nearly as much anymore. I've never shown this places to Peppermint Maid, Cake, or Fionna. So…congratulations on being the second person in all of Aaa to be up here…?" He joked plopping onto one of the pink bean bags.

"Awe, you make me feel like the first loser." She followed him, plopping as well.

"Well, I'm sure I didn't mean it like that." He smirked. Another gust blew by and she shivered.

"I guess I should've attempted to dry my hair a little bit, huh?" She said tucking her limp hair behind her ears.

"Maybe…" he said. "Lore…?"

"Yes?" She answered, pulling her short into a stubby ponytail and off her soaked neck.

"I realize that I wasn't polite enough to inquire whether or not you even wanted to well, uh, kiss before and I merely wanted to apolo-"

Their lips met before he could go on. She pulled away, resting her hands in his. "No apologizing and I might've slapped you if I hadn't wanted to kiss you."

"Then may I be so bold as to kiss you again?"

"You may," she wrapped her hands around the nape of his neck. His hands found the small of her back and pulled her into his lap. They pulled away from each other, breathing heavily. He leaned his forehead into hers, smiling.

"That was quite nice." He said after a minute.

"Yes…yeah it was." She said, giving him a lingering kiss on his neck and resting her head against his chest.

They sat in complete peacefulness and silence for what seemed like ages.

"We have to back now. My people will start to wonder where their Prince ran off to." He whispered, brushing his lips against her ear.

"Alright." It took a minute for either of them to stand up, but once they stood they rushed to the exit and ran down the passage like little children who were late to class.

* * *

** Well that was sweet J anyway…I don't know, tell me what you guys think. What do you think about her calling him Bubba? I wasn't too sure about that and I'll stop if you want me to…. Tell me what you think will happen at the ball? Also, I've decided that I'd really like it if you guys sent me in mini character profiles for your own OC to have a little cameo role. Just PM if you're interested, and I'll send you back my own Mini OC Character Sketch Template. I'll add in your character to the ball scene because that'll have a lot of people in it, and maybe later if I extend this past the ball (who am I kidding of course I will!). So, yeah…also, I might post a little chapter under another story title. It's going to be just about Gumball while Lore is sick, and it might have some other really short almost one-shot compilation stuff in it of things that weren't in the story, but I thought out, maybe even some stuff about Gumball's parents.**


	6. The Ball

"Are you prepared for tonight?" Peppermint Maid said to a very sleepy Lore who shuffled out of her room and into the hallway, wearing a loose button up shirt and capris.

"What?" She yawned and stretched out her arms. It had been difficult going to sleep the night before, she wasn't very tired, but her body was exhausted from fighting against the poison.

"Tonight is the ball, dear girl."

"Huh?" Her eyes opened wide.

"Tonight is the-"

"No, no I heard you…I, sorry, just a little tired this morning." She said cradling her elbows. "Do I…is the dress finished?" She asked at last.

"Of course!" The maid cried. The girl subconsciously glanced to her right to see if the prince was there. He wasn't. "He's downstairs decorating. You should go get some food, I'll walk you down."

"Alright," she slowly nodded. On the outside she may have looked solemn, but on the inside the girl was a little excited to see him again. The maid rushed down the stairs, and anxiously sat Lore down at the long table in the main dining hall. There was already a hearty breakfast set out for her.

"I must depart now, but um, have you seen Cinnamon Buns lately? I…_need_ her for something rather important."

"Oh," she thought for a moment, "No I haven't seen her in a while to be honest."

"Hmm…alright, alright…." Without and explanation the old woman walked off with a slight huff.

Lore stared down at the large, filled plate. Slowly, she began picking at the food. Her mind was busy, surprisingly not thinking about Gumball. In fact, she was mulling over some ideas about theoretical physics. At some point, she became so lost in thought, she jumped when someone laid their hand on her shoulder.

"Sorry," the prince said pulling away from her and rushing to sit on the opposite side of her.

"No, no," she assured him, "It's alright, I was just lost in thought I suppose."

He stared down at the food that had been laid before him, avoiding her gaze.

"Gumball?"

"Yes?"

"Can we go to one of your labs to-"

**BOOM!**

"What was that?" He asked alarmed.

"I don't know." They stood at the same time. After another crash they both sprinted through the castle to reach the nearest tower. Outside, Flame Prince and Ice Queen were battling.

"What is going on out there?!" He wondered aloud. Lore stood on her tiptoes behind him, trying to see.

"Don't ask me, I can't see past your big head." He glanced back at her, almost smiling at her smart comment.

"Would you like to sit on my shoulders, dear child?" He mocked.

"As tempting as that sounds, I'd rather stand in front of you." She stepped in front of him to observe the battle.

"That's the prince of the Fire Kingdom and the Ice Queen." He stared down at the top of her head.

"Fire and Ice…." She muttered.

"Hmm?" He asked, barely paying attention to the two powerful people floating in the air now.

"Nothing, it just reminded me of this prophecy thing I saw one time." She shook her head and turned to face Gumball.

"You didn't call me Bubba."

"For some reason I thought it annoyed annoy you." Her eyes found the floor at once.

"It doesn't." He said smiling down at her.

"Okay." She said shyly.

He softly put his hand under her chin, pulling her head up so she would look at him. Her gray eyes were so bright, or at least that's what he thought. He softly kissed her temple.

"I think we can go to a laboratory of mine, that didn't seem too serious anyway."

Now, the prince wasn't simply saying this solely because he wanted to escape problems and be with Lore, the fight had not escalated. Now, looking back out the window to make sure all was well, he noted Flame Prince and Fionna sitting on a blanket watching Ice Queen fly away. All was well.

"You have some of the best science labs I've ever seen." She breathed, running her thumb over his knuckles once.

"Ya' know…" he sheepishly trailed off. There was no need to explain to her how fantastically rich he was.

Though it was much too early to be thinking about any of this, the prince was pondering marriage; more specifically, a marriage with Lore.

_ I suppose I'm courting her now_, Gumball smiled as he opened the door for her.

He observed her reaction to the large room. "Do you like this lab then?"

She finally turned to him, beaming. "I don't use it too often, but I figured that you would enjoy it." All around were charts, boards, and various instruments, some of which she had never seen before.

"Of course!" She turned to give him a very quick squeeze around the waist. Lore ran off to one of the counters and began writing something down.

"Are you prepared for tonight, Lady Lore?" Peppermint Maid finally asked the silent girl, tying the ribbon in the corset of the dress.

"Of course…" she murmured. _I say that too much…_

"I'm very happy you're attending."

"I'm glad too," she replied. Turning, she observed herself in a full length mirror. The powder ball gown had no sleeves, but a sweetheart neckline. It was plain velvet, but beautiful on her. Her hair was perfectly curled, and pinned away from her face.

"You may go now." She didn't need to be told twice by the maid. The oldest human left on Aaa quickly walked from her room and made her way to the main staircase, but took a breath before descending them. Some people stared at her, some went along their business. She didn't see Gumball anywhere.

A little disappointed, she sat at a table across from a Candy person and set her chin in her hands. "Hi," she looked up at the person across from her, "I'm Devon! S-sorry, did that not not come out right? Well… I'm Devon." She smiled about to introduce herself, "Wait, wait, no good….Hi, I'm Devon, who are you?" Before speaking she gave the boy a moment, for air and to be sure he was done.

"I'm Lore," she raised an eyebrow, "And your first introduction was perfectly fine."

"Lore?" He stood, looking around, "Have you seen the prince anywhere?" She shook her head. "I hear he's amazing, and _I_ think he has a thing with a special someone. And you—CINNIMON BUNS STOP THAT! YOU'RE GOING TO RUIN THE BALL! I- sorry- about that…" he frantically looked around, "Do you have any spoons?"

She eyed the strange Candy person for a moment. "Yes…I believe, go find one of the kitchen staff I'm sure they'll help you." He nodded once and briskly walked off.

For only a few more minutes, she sat alone at the table, pondering life.

"Lore?" His soft voice drew her out of her own mind.

"Bubba," she smiled and jumped up to see him. He was wearing something similar to his average regal uniform, but fancier. His magenta eyes lit up at the sight of her.

"You are beautiful." He didn't stutter or blush.

"T-thank you," she whispered, "I see you're casually late." She joked, "I figured the prince, of all people, would try to be here one time."

"Oh, but of course. Actually, I received a call from Cake and she, well, she likes to talk. She's going to be here tonight, by the way, but Fionna is not."

"Oh…oh well. I'll see her eventually." She said optimistically.

"Well," he grinned back at her and glanced at the small orchestra who were tuning off to the side, "I suppose we could dance in the meantime…?" He rocked back and forth on his heels.

She looked a bit panicked, like a dear in headlights. "Um, how about we eat before dancing? I haven't had anything but water since breakfast." Lore slyly changed the subject.

"Of course then, let us go then." He bowed like a gentleman and put his elbow out for her to take.

"Of course," she said looping her arm through his.

"LORE!"

The girl in question looked around the room, trying to find the voice. "Lore?" Cake was suddenly in front of her.

"Oh, hello!" She looked at the cat who jumped into a chair across from her.

"Hey, Prince." She quickly waved to Gumball. "I'm sorry you haven't been able to Fionna. She's, ah, she's been having a little trouble with Flame Prince lately. Have you seen Lord lately?"

"That's alright, as long as I get to meet her someday." Gumball cut in.

"I believe he walked outside. He should be in the second garden." He haphazardly pointed in the direction of a garden.

"Thanks!" She called, already halfway to the door.

"That was sudden." Lore said once the feline had slammed the door behind her.

"Cake can be a little excitable sometimes. She used to be bad, you know; involved in a gang and everything."

"Wha-Really?!"

"I'm a little young to remember in great detail, but yes, that's the truth. It's shocking, but I guess no one taught her that was bad. Now she fights the bad guys, so I guess it all worked out in the end."

"I'll admit that that's surprising."

"Now," he cleared his throat and stood, "would you like to dance?" There were five or six people swaying around the floor, but it was otherwise empty. Everyone else had left to be outside and socialize.

"I…sure." She finally stood.

"Why are you so hesitant?" He took her hands in his.

"…I don't know how to dance properly."

He pleadingly smiled at her. "You don't need to know. You of all people will easily learn in minutes." Gumball could see the internal battle she was having.

"Okay…" she said at last. Still sounding unsure of herself. They walked to the center of the floor and stood for a moment.

He placed his hand on her waist, and brought her hand up to his shoulder. Slowly, he showed her what foot to start with, which was to turn, and how to step with the beat of the music. Lore caught on faster than she would have imagined. They danced until the song finished, breathing hard by the final chord.

"Would you like to go up to my spot? There's supposed to be a wonderful meteor shower tonight."

"Yes," she said. Gumball grabbed her hand and whisked her up the stairs. "Hey!" She called, "I'm going to fall in this thing!" He laughed with her, but slowed a bit for her sake.

As they neared the door, Gumball spoke again. "You're beautiful." He set his hands on her shoulders. The gaze between them didn't break.

"I'll admit that you're quite attractive." She put her hands upper arms.

"Did you see that?" Lore pointed up to the sky. The stars were so bright and so many that there needn't be any form of light beside that with came from above. It helped that they were at one of highest points of the castle.

"No, what was it?" He said into her hair.

They were lying on the ground, not really caring whether their clothes were dirtied or not, her head resting on his chest.

"I'm not sure." She yawned into his shoulder.

"I think we should go to sleep now." He stated, sitting up a little. She rubbed her eyes and stood with him.

"Okay." Slowly, the two walked through the hallways.

"Did you have fun tonight?" He asked once they had made it to their rooms.

"Yeah," she nodded grabbing the doorknob. She slipped into her room and began to attempt to untie the laces in her back. The dress wasn't constricting, but the knots in those ribbons on her back were impossible.

"Lore?" She heard Gumball call after multiple, fruitless efforts. _How is he already changed into nightclothes?!_ "May I come in?"

She thought for a second. "Sure!" She called back.

"Oh, you're not changed yet…?" He trailed off. She turned to face him.

"I need your help untying this." He opened his mouth to protest. "Don't worry I'm wearing a slip under this dress."

"…Alright." He finally said.

"Thank you," she answered cheerily and turned away from him. Cautiously, he walked toward her and began fumbling with the laces.

"Who tied this?" He asked once it came loose.

"Peppermint Maid," she answered easily. "I don't think she wanted me to ever escape this dress."

* * *

**Well first off I'm sorry this is semi-late, but I have a really valid excuse. I lost it. As I was editing this chapter my dearest, attention-loving, 60 pound, one-year-old dog decided to slap my keyboard so I would pay attention to her and somehow deleted the entire chapter. I managed to get back about half of it, and I wanted to post it so here. But hopefully the next chapter won't take as long. I'm so, so, so sorry. **


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